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June 2020

"Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God"

Episcopalians from many Diocese of Massachusetts congregations are making peaceful protest against racial injustice and the police brutality resulting in the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and others in recent weeks. Those pictured include members from: St. Luke's Church , Scituate (top row, left); Church of Our Redeemer , Lexington (top row, right); Church of the Holy Spirit , Mattapan (middle row, left); Christ Church , Swansea (middle row, center); St. James's Church , Cambridge (bottom row, left); Christ Church , Andover (bottom row, center); All Saints Parish , Brookline and St. Paul's Church , Brookline (bottom, right). Courtesy photos via Facebook and parish newsletters

Learn, pray, act: As listening, convening and discernment conversations are happening, alongside public witness actions, at all levels of the church toward making a meaningful response to racial injustice and helping to bring about lasting change, there are expanded Episcopal Church resources available online for addressing racist violence through learning, prayer and action. Visit https://episcopalchurch.org/responding-to-racist-violence.

Also of note: 

“Justice and equality not an either/or proposition”: June 12 pastoral reflection from Bishop Gayle E. Harris

June 1 statement from Bishop Alan M. Gates and Bishop Gayle E. Harris on violence and the sin of racism

June 1 letter from Dean Amy E. McCreath, Cathedral Church of St. Paul

Racial justice resources and action steps from Episcopal City Mission

Young people to join bishops for "virtual town hall" on dismantling racism

On Sunday, June 28 at 1 p.m., young people and church leaders will come together for a virtual, moderated “town hall”-style conversation with Bishop Alan M. Gates and Bishop Gayle E. Harris about dismantling racism. People of all ages are welcome to attend--with those over the age of 20 invited to listen, and those under 20 invited to share what they believe church leaders need to hear.

Participating middle and high school youth groups have been encouraged to meet online in advance, as they are able, to prepare their thoughts, reflections and prophetic calls to action with the assembled group.

Registration is required here. Questions may be directed to the diocesan youth missioner, the Rev. H. Mark Smith, at [email protected].

Bishops issue guidance and checklist for congregations preparing for in-person regathering after July 1

As the phased reopening process progresses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts amidst the still-prevalent COVID-19 pandemic, Episcopal congregations in Massachusetts have been operating under a bishops’ directive that there be no in-person public worship services until at least July 1.

As that date nears, Bishop Alan M. Gates and Bishop Gayle E. Harris of the Diocese of Massachusetts issued new guidance on June 15 that “strongly encourages” congregations to continue to refrain from holding in-person worship for now, but also permits congregations—in places where local conditions allow—to begin preparations for limited in-person regathering after July 1.

First, those congregations will need to complete a certification process “intended to help us be sure that our plans are comprehensive and safe,” the bishops said in their June 15 guidance ( read it in full here).

A group of “regathering shepherds” has been recruited to work with congregations on their plans for “Stage Two” in-person gatherings, based on the “A Journey By Stages” guidelines issued jointly by both Massachusetts Episcopal dioceses in mid-May (in English here and in Spanish here).

In order to receive the bishops’ permission for in-person regathering after July 1, congregations, with an assigned regathering shepherd, will need to complete an online checklist (in English here and Spanish here) attesting that they have a carefully considered regathering plan in place.

A similar process has been announced in the Diocese of Western Massachusetts.

The bishops’ June 15 guidance highlighted several principles that congregations need to consider, including the particulars of their context—“local coronavirus outbreak data; advisories by local community public health officials; architectural capacity and design of the church building; the ability of your staff and congregation to implement and maintain safety requirements; the prevalence of risk factors among your membership and your clergy and lay staff”—and it asks congregations to prioritize those who are most vulnerable.

“Many congregants and staff members with various risk factors will be advised or required to remain at home in order to stay safe. Others have unequal levels of access, both physically and technologically. Congregations should make inclusion and support of these members a key factor in all decisions about the timing and implementation of regathering,” the bishops said in their guidance.

They also noted that congregations need to be prepared to return to a more restricted phase of operations, should public health conditions worsen with new surges during the continuing pandemic, and that no congregation should feel pressure to regather prematurely.

“Our deepest hope is that our efforts to support one another in these decisions and preparations will indeed be manifestations of our love of God and one another,” the bishops said.

Read on the website here.

Diocese of Massachusetts COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund remains open to receive contributions

The Diocese of Massachusetts COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund remains open to receive contributions at www.diomass.org/give-now, and is helping to meet urgent needs and congregational sustainability during this time.

With deep gratitude for all the ways that individuals and congregations are responding to COVID-19, Bishop Alan M. Gates urges everyone to continue to financially support their local congregations and to give generously to the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund: “Our diocesan support to the neediest among us is crucial. Each of us, individually and communally, faces challenge and sacrifice in this crisis. For some, this hardship is potentially devastating. It is in those places especially that we must care for one another. We have affirmed repeatedly that we are stronger together than we are separately. Now may we manifest that strength!”

Zooming from downtown Boston to Martha's Vineyard: Cathedral and Grace Church build new relationship

In the summer of 2018, when the dean of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in downtown Boston, the Very Rev. Amy E. McCreath, called the Rev. Stephen Harding, the soon-to-be rector of Grace Church in Vineyard Haven, on the island of Martha's Vineyard, to welcome him to the diocese and his new position, neither realized that their conversation would lead to a friendship between the two congregations more than a year and a half later, at a time when a global pandemic would be requiring everyone to change the way that they worship.

“We ended up having this really long conversation, and what was surprising, but really clear to us, was, even though our congregations are in very different communities and have very different demographics, they actually have a lot in common,” McCreath said in an interview. “They’ve both been through a lot of challenges in recent years and are finding their ways on the other side of that.”

At the time, the congregations had individually decided that they were unable to participate in the diocesan Indaba program geared towards building relationships among congregations through purposeful in-person conversation, but inspired by the project, McCreath and Harding resolved to do a sort of “mini-Indaba” where they could have members of each congregation visit the other and share worship and fellowship together.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit however, it became clear that the sort of in-person exchange that they had imagined would now be impossible for some time.

Grace Church, Vineyard Haven

Courtesy photo

When McCreath saw that the pandemic had both congregations worshiping online via Zoom at 10 a.m. on Sundays, she figured she would see if they could continue with their plans to visit each other’s congregations, albeit virtually--an idea that Harding was all for.

“What was so special about the recent combined services was that we felt a part of something larger than our own parish,” said Jeff Spear, a lay leader from Grace Church, in an e-mail. “Hearing Dean Amy tell the story of Jesus’ night before he was crucified reminded us that in uncertain times there is the glue of love that holds us together for better times. I think the future of our ministry will be to come together as one large parish made up from many parishes and enjoy the diversity of approaches to faith.”

According to McCreath and Harding, the services have been well-received by both congregations, attendance was high on both sides and the services were similar, but with differences that allowed the congregations to learn from each other. Both congregations wanted to continue the relationship, so the cathedral will virtually host Grace Church again in June, Grace Church will virtually host the cathedral in July, and the congregations hope to create a system of “prayer partners” wherein they can support each other until the day that they are able to visit each other’s congregations in person.

“There are so many things that are terrible about this season,” McCreath said. “There’s so much that’s hard and there is so much suffering and loss; we are all grieving the things we can’t do. But all of a sudden there is this new possibility to live into the [diocesan] mission strategy that’s not that hard.”

Executive Council commits to antiracism with resolutions and grants: The Episcopal Church’s Executive Council, meeting online June 8-11, doubled down on the church’s antiracism efforts, acknowledging in light of recent events that the church must do more, both to understand its own complicity in white supremacy and to dismantle it.

In order for that to happen in a mostly white church, there needs to be a paradigm shift, said House of Deputies Vice President Byron Rushing. During his meditation for Morning Prayer on the final day of the meeting, Rushing shared his perspective as a black man being acutely aware of racism every day, and challenged white members of council to have that mindset.

“We can’t be honest about doing this work together until it is as equally important, every day, for you as it is for us, and that each of us know that,” Rushing said.

Council passed several resolutions affirming the church’s racial justice work, emphasizing efforts to respond to the recent killings of black Americans by police and white vigilantes and highlighting the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 in communities of color.

Read Episcopal News Service’s full story here.

House of Deputies Vice President Byron Rushing, from the Diocese of Massachusetts, speaks during a June 9 Executive Council Zoom session.  Episcopal News Service image

UBE offers mental health resources as anxiety spikes amid pandemic, killings by police: The Union of Black Episcopalians, through its mental health task force, is offering resources and support to the entire Episcopal Church community, as anxiety and tensions continue to rise after another killing June 12 of a black man, Rayshard Brooks, by a white police officer in Atlanta.

Recent federal census surveys reveal that Americans – and particularly black Americans and Latinos – already were struggling with high rates of anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disproportionately affected communities of color. Those rates spiked for African-Americans after the May 25 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

John Robertson, an Orlando, Fla., psychologist who chairs the UBE task force, said repeated incidents like this heighten the sense of trauma and concern African-Americans have for their safety. “Things are developing so quickly in these fast-moving and stressful times,” he said. The task force “feels very strongly that we need to be as active as possible in the process of healing.”

The UBE is hosting a webinar, “YAYAs—Keeping It Together in the Face of Trauma,” at 4 p.m. EDT June 21 to help address the issues. Additionally, at 5 p.m. EDT July 19, mental health task force members Ayesha Mutope-Johnson and Carrie Brown will lead another webinar, “For the Living of These Days: What Do We Do with Our Rage.”

Read Episcopal News Service's story here.

Church invites participation in sexual misconduct survey: Since the most recent Episcopal Church General Convention in 2018, several task forces have been working to carry out resolutions adopted to address gender-based discrimination and violence. One of those groups—the Task Force on Women, Truth and Reconciliation—is making available an online survey designed to assess patterns of church-based harassment and abuse and the effect that it has on victims. Read a letter here from Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry and the president of the House of Deputies, the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, inviting churchwide participation, and find the survey here. It is open until July 1.

Masks for mission: Madeline Sampson of Fort Defiance, Ariz., has been sewing masks to benefit the Good Shepherd Mission in the Episcopal Church’s Navajoland Area Mission, and is able to receive orders from congregations for $6 per mask (covers shipping). Given that Navajoland and other indigenous communities are hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, additional contributions over and above the cost of the masks are gratefully accepted to support the church’s work in these mission areas.

Courtesy photo

For orders and information, contact Madeline Sampson at [email protected] or

PO Box 223, Fort Defiance AZ 86504.

Read Episcopal News Service’s story about grassroots church efforts to help Navajoland feed families affected by COVID-19, here.

Church gardens meet surging hunger needs: From California to Connecticut, congregations are borrowing a page from history by planting extra rows of crops — akin to victory gardens of World War I and World War II — to meet mounting local needs for emergency food as unemployment rates skyrocket. More are expected to join the trend as the Episcopal Church on June 1 rolled out the Good News Gardens Movement to support congregations in ramping up food production on church-owned land.

Read the full story from The Living Church here.

Remembering Bishop Barbara C. Harris on the 90th anniversary of her birth: Friday, June 12 marked the 90th anniversary of the birth of the late Rt. Rev. Barbara C. Harris.

"It is now three months since Bishop Barbara's death," Bishop Alan M. Gates said in a June 11 message issued in remembrance of Harris. "Our deep sense of personal and communal loss is compounded by our continuing inability, on account of the coronavirus, to hold public gatherings in thanksgiving for her life and witness. Nevertheless, our prayers of thanksgiving continue, deep and genuine."

In remembrance of Harris, Gates commended the video [ available here] of the diocesan tribute to Harris held in November 2018, commemorating the 30th anniversary of her election to the episcopate.

"We hope that sharing these remembrances once more will be one way for us in this time to hold her in our hearts and prayers, and commend her with gratitude to Eternal Life," Gates wrote.

The Rt. Rev. Barbara C. Harris

Photo: Matthew Cavanaugh

Diocesan Convention to be a virtual experience on Saturday, Nov. 7: Due to continued uncertainty about the anticipated COVID-19 experience in Massachusetts this coming autumn, the 2020 Diocesan Convention will be offered as a completely virtual, online event on Saturday, Nov. 7.

As this will be a new experience for most, the planning team has begun its work early and wants everyone to know:

Stay tuned for additional information in the coming weeks, including a technology survey for convention attendees with vote and/or voice.

Questions may be directed to Chelsea Smith, Assistant for Governance and Administration, at [email protected] or 617-482-4826, ext. 406.

New deacons ordained: (Top left photo, from left): The Rev. Marilee Comerford, The Rev. Natalie Thomas, The Rev. James Thomas and The Rev. Valerie Cowart;

(Top, right): The Rev. Larry Civale; (Center right): The Rev. Luke Ditewig, SSJE; (Bottom row, from left): The Rev. Lauren Lukason; The Rev. Melissa Howell; and The Rev. Tammy Hobbs Miracky. Photos: Tracy J. Sukraw

Bishop Alan M. Gates ordained four deacons and five transitional deacons over the course of June 5 and 6. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the service happened in a new way this year--online and in small in-person groups.

The Liturgy of the Word portion of the service took place over the Zoom online videoconferencing platform on Friday, June 5. [ Find the sermon here.] Then, the examination of the ordinands and laying on of hands was conducted in separate segments on Saturday, June 6 at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston.

In-person participants briefly removed their masks for photos, and everyone who was not of a household stayed physically distanced throughout.

Deacons (and their sponsoring congregations) are: The Rev. Marilee Comerford ( Trinity Church, Marshfield); The Rev. Valerie Cowart ( All Saints’ Church, Chelmsford); The Rev. James Thomas ( St. John’s Church, Sandwich); and The Rev. Natalie Thomas ( St. Christopher’s Church, Chatham).

Transitional deacons (and their sponsoring congregations) are: The Rev. Lawrence Civale ( Church of the Advent, Boston); The Rev. Luke Ditewig, SSJE ( Society of St. John the Evangelist, Cambridge); The Rev. Tammy Hobbs Miracky ( St. Paul’s Church, Brookline); The Rev. Melissa Howell ( Trinity Church, Boston); and The Rev. Lauren Lukason ( St. Paul’s Church, Brookline).

Online Refugee Day Gathering: An online gathering following World Refugee Day is being organized to take place on Saturday, June 27 at 2 p.m. to honor refugees and a diversity of cultures and for sharing and discussion. Bishop Gayle E. Harris will participate in this event, open to all and planned by the Ministry of Immigration Partnership convened through the diocesan Office of the Canon for Immigration and Multicultural Ministries.

Register online here by June 25. The link for joining the gathering will be e-mailed to those who have registered.

Questions may be directed to the Rev. Canon Jean Baptiste Ntagengwa, Canon for Immigration and Multicultural Ministries at [email protected] or

617-482-4826, ext. 400.

"Change Through Public Policy" Online Training: For the past year, the Ministry of Immigration Partnership convened through the diocesan Office of Canon for Immigration and Multicultural Ministries has been involved in advocating improved conditions for asylum seekers at the U.S. southern border and many other immigration matters. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, this work took these ministry partners to different parts of the diocese for educational workshops and to Washington, D.C., to meet with members of Congress and their staffers.

Some people may be unsure about getting involved in public policy advocacy. Even for those who are comfortable with it, creating a strategy can be a complicated process. And so, the Ministry of Immigration Partnership invites all to join an online two-hour training to learn about advocacy and relationship building with elected officials, and how to use your voice, your keyboard and your pen to push for better laws and policies. This training will be given by the Office of Government Relations, which leads Episcopal Church advocacy at the federal level.

Although the event is free, pre-registration is required to receive an e-mail the day prior to the event with the link to join via Zoom. Register here.

Beware of scammers: Online "phishing" scams that involve e-mail or text message requests for gift cards or personal information continue to target churches and clergy, and they require everyone's continued awareness and vigilance.

Scammers' tactics vary, but a common one is to send e-mails or text messages that appear to be from a known organization or church leader. They typically ask for urgent help or a favor, and request that the recipient buy and electronically send gift cards or make donations via money transfer.  

Church leaders should inform their congregations about these scams and reinforce the message that clergy and church leaders will never ask for help or donations in this way. Recipients should be skeptical of unexpected e-mail or text message requests to send or spend money, and check the sender’s e-mail address before responding or opening any links or attachments.  If a request seems to be authentic, call the requester to confirm, making sure to use known contact information.

The Federal Trade Commission provides updates about recent scams, by topic, and how to recognize the warning signs, here . ( Image by OpenIcons from Pixabay)

Paper Crane Prayers: At Christ Church in Plymouth, 1,123 paper cranes and swallows were folded by members of the congregation in time for Pentecost, each representing a single prayer. Courtesy photo via Facebook

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Johnna Fredrickson, who serves as interim director of education at Christ Church in Plymouth, had been folding origami figures to use in and around church classrooms to note changes in learning themes, but when the pandemic forced churches to move worship and activities online, making prayer cranes made sense as a parishwide activity.

According to Fredrickson, the directions for paper cranes and swallows--along with an instructional video--were posted online, and members of the congregation were asked to write on origami paper the name of a person, situation or group that they wished to hold up in prayer and then fold it into a tangible symbol of that prayer.

The goal was to fold 1,000 paper cranes, an idea that came from Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes and the traditional belief that 1,000 cranes folded brings good health. Starting at Easter and going until Pentecost, Christ Church members of all ages folded 1,123 paper cranes in all, which were strung together to form garlands to hang in the sanctuary.

"When all the origami swallows and cranes were placed, and I stepped back to see them, I was absolutely stunned by them," said Fredrickson in an e-mail. "So many people spent so much time in prayer, and so much effort to fold such beautiful symbols of those prayers - what a blessing."

Linda Ashcraft, a retired school teacher and member of Christ Church, helped to fold many of the cranes, having read the story of Sadako to her students over the years

"I was delighted to participate and particularly appreciated the emphasis on prayer," Ashcraft said in an e-mail. "Somehow, writing a person’s name on the origami paper made my prayer more concrete, more meaningful. Then, I shared pictures of the cranes with some of the people for whom I prayed: a COVID-19 patient (a nurse in a long term health facility); a neighbor starting dialysis; a friend whose daughter-in-law died suddenly, etc. All were most appreciative."

"The most special part was saying a prayer for someone or a special request, and then writing that inside the folds," Christ Church parishioner Debbie Hill said in an e-mail. "It was moving to think that those prayers were swirling around the sanctuary! The altar looked beautiful that Sunday, and I felt very connected to my church family in spite of watching the service from home."

Pentecost pinwheels: One hundred and twenty pinwheels decorated the lawn of Grace Church in Newton for Pentecost this year, after the Rev. Regina Walton, the rector of Grace Church, and Rowan Larson, the minister for Christian formation, decided to begin a new tradition for Pentecost, as many of the usual ones couldn't happen this year due to COVID-19.

Larson discovered that their idea of "Pentecost Pinwheels" was already popular in many Roman Catholic churches, and after modifying a design they found online, made copies on card stock and distributed the pinwheel-making supplies to members of the congregation in a no-contact way through the "Better Together" neighborhood groups formed by the congregation back in March as a way to group parishioners by neighborhood to help meet local needs during the pandemic.

"Pentecost pinwheels" decorate the lawn of Grace Church in Newton. Courtesy photo

After the completed pinwheels were collected, Larson cut out and assembled them, using short bamboo dowels, pushpins and a hammer, and put them on the lawn along with a sign reading, in part, "During these days when we can't see much of each other except on a screen, the members of Grace Church have created these pinwheels to remind us that we are still a gathered congregation even when we are apart. As the pinwheels spin when the wind rushes through them, we still have the Holy Spirit to guide, inspire and encourage us."

The congregation then offered a video for Pentecost featuring Larson flying a dove through the church grounds and over the pinwheels, set to a musical track composed by the music director of the church, Chris Hossfeld, who used many separate recordings to capture more than 30 participants in the "Grace Pentecost Choir" singing "Sweet, sweet spirit."

"I think that sense of community is important, and why the [Better Together] groups, and projects like our pinwheels, are important in these times," Larson said in an e-mail. "They’re a reminder that we’re still a church, the gathered body of Christ, and that even when we’re apart, we’re still connected with our community. The grace of God and of Grace Church still flows through us!"

Hope Rocks: Members of St. Anne's in-the-Fields Church in Lincoln have been leaving river rocks with painted messages of hope in random places around their communities in an attempt to spread hope and to thank essential workers during this trying time of pandemic.

Earlier in the spring, the Rev. Garrett Yates, the rector of St. Anne's in-the-Fields, had noticed a bag of river rocks sitting unused in a church supply closet, so senior warden Carol Carmody and her daughter Nelle painted the rocks with messages such as: Love wins; Stay positive; Persevere; Smile; It will be ok; Peace; and Have faith.

"We loved doing the 'Hope Rocks' as it gave us a way to bring encouraging words to many people we didn’t know," Carol Carmody said in an e-mail. "Ours went out on the trails of Lincoln, which have been so much more actively used as we all have sought 'safe' and healthy activities."

They packaged the painted rocks in bags and left them in a basket outside of the church, inviting members of the congregation to grab a bag from the basket and to place the rocks around their communities, such as at the end of driveways where walkers could see them, by mailboxes to thank delivery people or along a river path.

A decorated rock rests in its new home. Courtesy photo

"I've been thinking about hope recently and all of the ways that we spread hope as a community, and I'm reminded that hope isn't just a feeling of optimism or a sentiment, it's something that's tangible, that's concrete, that's real - something we can hold onto," Yates said in a Facebook video introducing the project. "Tangible signs of hope that we can leave in various places around our communities, be it for essential workers, maybe at the grocery store, at the post office, be it for a friend or a grandparent--just a tangible sign of good cheer and hope from this community."

Cards of care: Children at St. John's Church in Franklin made more than 80 cards to send to healthcare workers at multiple hospitals to thank them for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic, a gesture that did not go unappreciated by the staff at the hospitals.

The team of church school teachers at St. John's thought that inviting the children to create cards for essential workers would be a good way to keep church school kids engaged and remember some of the lessons and stories they had learned in the the past year.

Staff in the clinical labs at Brigham and Women's Hospital--where COVID-19 testing takes place--hold up their cards of encouragement and thanks from the young people at St. John's, Franklin. Courtesy photo

Amali De Zoysa, one of the teachers at St. John's, explained in an e-mail how the children had learned about loving their neighbor through the story of the Good Samaritan, and how this project offered the young people a chance to thank the "Good Samaritans" in their communities.

"The goal with sending the cards was to show the kids that they can be a 'Good Samaritan' and show love but also that there are so many other 'Good Samaritans' in our community," De Zoyza said. "In a time of so much anxiety and fear, being able to let the kids know that there was still God’s love shared through the 'Good Samaritans' who are taking care of others, loving and being near those who needed it the most, was important."

One of the groups that received cards from the children was the staff in the clinical labs at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), who took pictures of themselves with the cards and thanked the children for the meaningful gesture.

"The children are the real heroes here, their 'stay at home to keep you safe' sacrifice was surely difficult and scary for them. To use this time in such a creative and caring endeavor for people they do not know was so touching," said Margaret Lobo, head of the Pathology Lab at BWH in an e-mail. "The laboratory staff work meticulously but largely behind the scenes on behalf of patients and clinicians so this recognition was a wonderful surprise for them. Receiving these heartfelt cards of appreciation really made their day. If you could take a peek behind the masks in these photos you would see smiles a mile wide!"

“Beloved Spaces”: The Tuesday before Pentecost found the Rev. Nicholas Morris-Kliment in the memorial garden at Christ Church in Needham, where he is the rector, vested in red and, with red coffee cup in hand, sharing a word about the coming of the Holy Spirit.

A week later, he’s on the church’s Rosemary Street patio, wearing Ordinary Time green, and talking about action steps toward racial justice during these extraordinary times.

Last Tuesday found him in front of Christ Church’s “Wedding at Cana” window—one that parishioners may not have gotten a good look at before, he quips, given than no one likes to sit in the front pew. It’s a good spot from which to reflect on the power of sharing a meal together in Jesus’ name.

These are the first in a new series of weekly videos that Morris-Kliment is calling “Beloved Spaces” and that he's producing as a way to bridge the pandemic-created physical divide between church place and church people. Each is a short “video visit from a beloved space in our church, on topics that touch on holy places, both concrete and metaphorical, in our lives,” he wrote in a message to the congregation launching the series.

One of the best things about the project, he said by e-mail, has been “hearing from older parishioners especially, for whom our ‘beloved spaces’ have long and rich associations.”

The Rev. Nicholas Morris-Kliment

Screenshot from video

And while Christ’s body is people and not buildings, he noted, “it is also true that attachments to place are part of what makes us human.”

There is invitation and instruction in the mix, and a little bit of humor, too. 

“Personally, it has been fun to engage more fully in social media. I have never made YouTube videos before and I’ve enjoyed indulging my closet ham,” he said. “More seriously, I love the challenge of making and sharing the timely and actionable connections I see among sacred spaces in our buildings and sacred places in our lives as followers of Jesus in the wider world. It is another small way to be the Pentecost church that Bishop Gates preached about on Pentecost.”

Boston.com: ‘His tactic was obvious’: New England Episcopal bishops lambast Trump for ‘cynical’ Bible photo-op: Nine bishops from across the Episcopal Church’s New England dioceses slammed President Donald Trump on Tuesday for posing with a Bible in front of a church in Washington, D.C., calling the move “disgraceful and morally repugnant.”

“His tactic was obvious,” the bishops who helm the church’s Province 1 dioceses said in a joint statement. “Simply by holding aloft an unopened Bible he presumed to claim Christian endorsement and imply that of the Episcopal Church. Far more disturbingly, he seemed to be affecting the authority of the God and Savior we worship and serve, in order to support his own authority and to wield enhanced use of military force in a perverted attempt to restore peace to our nation.” Read more here.

Religion News Service: Faith at the barricades: A weekend of religious protest and prayer in photos: Sometimes praying, sometimes chanting slogans and sometimes even stung by pepper spray and tear gas, clergy and other faith leaders were among those who protested the killing of George Floyd by a police officer on Memorial Day (May 25) in Minneapolis. Religious feeling also crossed the barricades themselves at times as law enforcement personnel took time to pray with protesters while on duty at the demonstrations. Read more here.

Cape Cod Times: Cape Codders of color are ‘taking a stand’: With the COVID-19 pandemic threatening the Cape, Tameeka Reid, of Yarmouth, stayed mostly at home, donning a mask to run to the grocery store for essential items.

But the death of George Floyd while in custody of Minneapolis police officers had her joining protesters Saturday on Hyannis Village Green.

“I’m just tired of waking up in the morning, turning on the news and seeing another innocent black person killed. Something needs to be done,” Reid said. “It’s outrageous.”

For people of color on Cape Cod, Floyd’s agonizing and videotaped death by a white officer, who has been charged with second-degree murder, has been a call to gather in person and online to protest, to grieve and to support each other.

“I have had enough,” said the Rev. Will H. Mebane Jr., pastor of St. Barnabas Church in Falmouth. Read more here.

Martha's Vineyard Times: Drive-by blessings delivered: On Sunday, St. Andrew’s Church, in conjunction with other Christian denominations from the Island community, held a Pentecost Day Car Parade to commemorate the Pentecost season in the Christian faith. Pentecost comes 50 days after Easter Sunday, and serves as the beginning of the longest liturgical season in the Christian calendar, and is the day when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles. In the Christian canon, Pentecost also is the day that Moses was presented with the 10 Commandments.

The parade started at the Park and Ride in Edgartown, and traveled to the Old Whaling Church on Main Street. The Rev. Chip Seadale, alongside the Rev. Steven Harding of Grace Church in Vineyard Haven, and the Rev. Hyuk Seonwoo from Trinity Methodist Church in Oak Bluffs, stood in front of the Whaling Church to bless those who rode by. In accordance with social distancing regulations, the leaders asked all attendees to remain in their cars to receive the blessing.  Read more here.

South Coast Today: Cast in stone: Messages of hope at church garden in Dartmouth: While most people look for ways to get rid of rocks in their garden, one church is actually looking for rocks to place in its garden.

St. Peter’s Church in Dartmouth is currently getting its Peace Garden ready for the season and could use the public’s help to make it extra special this year.

“There is still the desire for people to be a church even though they can’t gather together as a church,” said the Rev. Scott A. Ciosek, of St. Peter’s, regarding rules of social distancing and restricted group gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Peace Garden, he said, is a place where people in the community can visit and sit in a quiet setting, whether they go to church or not. He said the garden was created about five years ago. Read more here.

Summer scheduling note:

E-news takes a summer break in July, and returns news-ready soon thereafter.

  Jun 17 : Mission Strategy Online Book Group: "Joining God, Remaking Church, and Changing the World", 7:00pm

Jun 18 : Youth Ministry Online Gathering, 3:30pm 

Jun 18 : Diocesan Council Meeting via Zoom, 6:00pm 

Jun 25 : Children's Formation Online Gathering, 3:30pm 

Jun 27 : CANCELED: Confirmation - Boston Harbor Deanery

Jun 27 : Online Refugee Day Gathering, 2:00pm 

Jun 28 : "Young People in the Diocese of Massachusetts Speak Out Against Racism": A Virtual Town Hall with the Bishops, 1:00pm 

Jul 9 : Children's Formation Online Gathering, 3:30pm 

Jul 15 : "Change Through Public Policy" Online Training, 1:00pm 

Jul 16 : Youth Ministry Online Gathering, 3:30pm 

Jul 23 : Children's Formation Online Gathering, 3:30pm

Stay connected with our diocesan community:

Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts 

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